Main :: Wood :: How To...

All You need To Know (more or less)

SHOPPING FOR WOOD FLOORING

Basically, you’ll need to make lists and collect samples of what your current room decor consists of (wallcovering, upholstery,...). Is the effect formal/informal, elegant/rustic, or fancy/simple? Is this a residence or a commercial space? Rough measurements are useful, too. Bring it all with you when you come in and we’ll do our best to help. Once you decide on a couple of prime candidates, we can come out, take exact measurements and give you a more precise quote on which to base your final selection. Let’s get started... Click to show the lists of things to consider.

LISTS

Lifestyle/Decor Issues:

What is the room used for?
Is the area above- or below-grade?
Radiant heat? Some types of wood flooring may be more suitable than others.
Kids, pets, or high traffic patterns?
How much sunlight will the flooring be subjected to daily?
Does the room have southern, northern, eastern, or western exposure?
Any patio doors? Sliding? Swing/fold (direction)?
What is under the existing flooring? Do you want to be able to install over the existing floor?
What do you want done with existing baseboard and moldings?

Goal(s):

Visual warmth/Insulation
Noise absorption
Spruce up existing decor
Completely change the room’s look
Refurbish for sale
Refurbish for rent
Other?

Budget Considerations:

How long do you want it to last?
Is this a D-I-Y project?
Will the subflooring need any prep-work?
Cost of removal/disposal of existing flooring, if needed
Cost of moving furniture/appliances
All incidental material and installation costs
Flooring (solid? engineered? longstrip? laminated? bamboo or cork?
Underlayment (built-in? man-made? cork?)

Measurements—Make sketches of the room to be redone, approximate measures are fine at this point:

Use this quick square-footage estimator
Locations of doors (Are they used?? How do they open, in or out?)
Location of windows
Major pieces of furniture, architectural details (e.g. fireplace) that will need to be worked around

Tips:

Read & follow the manufacturer’s underlayment recommendations; failure to comply may void warranties.
Save flooring remnants for future repairs.
Colors/Patterns
- Is there a predominant color theme you want to play up or play down?
- Are you wanting to visually expand the space or make it smaller & cozier?
- Lighter colors will reflect more light and give the feeling of larger space.
- Darker, richer colors tend to cozy up large spaces.
- Area rugs can be used to divide a large carpeted space into specific areas, and add seasonal variance.
Wood flooring product types—See the popup Summary of Features Quick-Ref
Wood hardness rankings—See the popup chart

Click to hide lists.

SAMPLES

Samples IN— Upholstery, curtains/drapes, wallpaper, trim, wall paint. Bring in pictures of installations (from magazines, for example) that appeal to you, and bring in photos of what you definitely do NOT want. Both will help narrow the search. Lacking photos, make notes of any flooring you come across that you like: color/surface texture/name if you can get it.

Samples OUT—Take home several of our loaner samples and lay them on your floor. Try to envision them as covering the entire surface, and see how they suit you. Live with them for a week or so; sometimes what looks great at first begins to be not-so-great after the first few days. It might help to put samples down one-at-a-time, or at least separate them as widely as possible.

Have you considered bamboo or cork? If not, you might be surprised at their qualities and cost-effectiveness. Both are becoming increasingly popular, both for their uniqueness and their environmental benefits.

CARE & MAINTENANCE TIPS

We’ve gathered together a few tips, from around the web, on caring for and maintaining your wood flooring. All wood-based floorings, even bamboo and cork, have the same general care and maintenance do’s and don’ts.

First of all—Save several pieces of flooring for future repairs!

Brands We Carry:

Alloc • Lauzon
Mohawk • BSL
Quick-Step • Shaw
Wecork • Teragren
APC Cork • Ancestral
... & more!

Useful
“Quick Guides”

Wood Hardness Chart

Quick-Ref: How It’s Made

Quick-Ref: Usage/Features Summary

Rough Square-foot Estimator

Read about ...

Shopping for Wood Flooring

Underlayment

Care/Tips

D-I-Y Installation Notes

Manufacturers

Professional Installation

Request More Info

(802) 453-5533

Feedback?
Questions?
Write Us!

Dealing with Scratches, Dirt, & Spills (most are from the National Wood Flooring Association site)
- Do not use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes cause wood to become slippery and appear dull quickly.
- Use throw rugs both inside and outside doorways to help prevent grit, dirt and other debris from being tracked onto your wood floors. This will prevent scratching.
- Do not wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
- Wipe up spills immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
- Follow manufacturers’ recommendations for cleaning. Some will have their own special cleaners, but—more importantly—know that some finishes do not react well with certain traditional treatments. Wax, for example, may be a problem with certain product finishes, as might a water and vinegar cleaner. Select your cleaner according to the recommendations supplied with your particular flooring.
- Put soft plastic or fabric-faced glides under the legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
- Use casters where practical, especially those with rubber rollers.
- Avoid walking on your wood floors with cleats, sports shoes and high heels. A 125-pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch.
- When moving heavy furniture, do not slide it on wood flooring. Special furniture slides are available, usually at any local hardware store. They slip under the legs and let you move the piece without scratching the floor.
- For wood flooring in the kitchen, place an area rug in front of the kitchen sink.
- Do not let puddles sit on any type of wood flooring material.
- Be careful about trying to scrub off encrusted grime. Steer clear of things like steel wool.
- Do not sand or try to refinish laminate flooring—you’ll destroy the print or veneer top.
- Consider the use of a humidifier in the winter months to minimize wood movement.
The National Wood Flooring Association has much good information. In particular, visit their Troubleshooting page (select “Troubleshooting & Repair” from the option-box selector).

Installation Tips

There are a number of things to consider before you begin to install your own wood flooring. Solid hardwood might be better left to a professional installer, possibly engineered flooring, too, as well as some of the bamboo and cork floorings. However, the floated floors are usually pretty good bets for the Do-It-Yourselfer. Careful preparation before beginning will make the installation a quick and relatively pain-free process. Prior experience will be most helpful, but we all have to start somewhere. McGrath’s can help you determine the level of installation ease of your chosen flooring.

Make sure your sub-floor is flat and smooth.
Take extra care if installing over radiant heating. Be sure that you read both the flooring and radiant heat system instructions carefully, first.
Flooring manufacturers will provide detailed installation instructions, some can be downloaded from their websites before you even order the flooring, so you can get a good idea of what the process will be. Read them carefully.
Allow flooring to acclimate in the room where it will be installed for a minimum of 72 hours.
Inspect each plank or panel carefully for defects or damage before installing it.
Always use a tapping block, and never hit wood flooring directly, to avoid fracturing the panel edge. A piece of flooring trim makes a good tapping block.
Tools
- Glue, if your type of flooring is of the tongue-and-groove/no lock-mechanism type. Be sure to use what the manufacturer recommmends.
- Sealers and fillers, as recommended; use on gaps and around edges.
- Strap sets or clamps to pull the rows together.
- A tapping block to prevent damage to the planks when tapping them into place. Blocks are often designed specifically for a particular brand, to fit the edge contours and protect them; sometimes a piece of scrap flooring will work just fine.
- Wedges or spacers to ensure a proper space is maintained around the room edges. Floated floors must be able to expand and contract, inadequate space may result in buckling.
- A pulling bar to pull planks together.